There was still some time before their meal reservation, so Cen Jin first brought Li Wu to the shopping mall.
She had no intention of idly browsing and headed straight to the fourth-floor sportswear and streetwear section.
Meanwhile, Li Wu, being here for the first time, couldn’t help but feel dazzled and disoriented.
The mall was like a vast, exquisite labyrinth, brimming with urban extravagance. The ceaseless flow of people in every direction made Li Wu instinctively stick close to Cen Jin.
While riding the escalator, he couldn’t ignore the glances from passersby—some curious, some judgmental.
Li Wu understood the reason all too well.
He and Cen Jin were mismatched. She was radiant and outstanding, while he was visibly shabby at a glance. Their walking together seemed unnaturally odd.
Cen Jin, of course, noticed it too but pretended to be oblivious. She turned her head to speak to him: "Your school uniform won’t be ready until next week, so I’ll buy you a few clothes to wear in the meantime."
Li Wu was taken aback. "No need."
Cen Jin had expected this reaction: "New school, new beginnings. Wouldn’t it be good to leave the past behind?"
She lowered her gaze, subtly indicating his clothes with her eyes. They were simply too old and outdated, to the point where she found them unbearable. Of course, she wouldn’t voice these thoughts aloud.
Li Wu fell silent.
The boy’s silence carried many meanings, but each time, it was straightforward. After spending these two days with him, Cen Jin could roughly gauge his current attitude.
Repeatedly thwarted by his unreasonable pride, she grew irritated: "I want to buy them for you. Even if you’re not happy about it, just bear with it."
She was tired of playing the role of a patient, guiding "mother."
Li Wu reluctantly agreed, finally eliciting a smile from her.
Her tone softened: "Consider it an admission gift for you.""
Her sudden change was startling, and Li Wu even wondered if her earlier stern expression had been an illusion.
Cen Jin was remarkably decisive when it came to shopping. Brushing off the persistent sales assistant, she quickly picked out a full set of clothes and pants from the Adidas section.
She handed them to Li Wu and gestured toward the fitting room with a slight tilt of her chin: "Try these on."
The sales assistant, ever enthusiastic, chimed in: "Madam, you have excellent taste. This Sportswear top is from Royal Horse..."
Cen Jin glanced at the assistant: "Could you please take him over there?"
The assistant fell silent and led Li Wu to the fitting room.
Only when he stepped inside did Li Wu’s shoulders finally relax. He picked up one of the garments, flipped over the tag, and glanced at the price.
He stood there for a moment in silence, then took off his own clothes and pulled the new one over his head.
As he stepped out of the fitting room, the waiting sales assistant immediately exclaimed, "Wow! So handsome!"
Cen Jin, who had been selecting shoes for him, looked over and smiled warmly: "It looks good."
Li Wu’s ears began to burn—he was seldom praised so directly.
"You have such a great eye! Your brother looks really good in it," the sales assistant gushed enthusiastically. "It’s rare to see a guy who can wear this Sportswear top so sharply and energetically."
Her flattery wasn’t entirely insincere—the top did suit Li Wu’s appearance remarkably well. It was hard to say whether the clothes enhanced the person or the person enhanced the clothes. Still, Cen Jin remained somewhat critical: "Does it make him look a bit dark?"
The assistant replied, "Why would a guy worry about looking dark? He’s so good-looking—his complexion doesn’t matter at all."
Cen Jin nodded and asked Li Wu, "What do you think?"
Li Wu couldn’t articulate an opinion. For him, clothes were merely for covering the body and keeping warm.
He stood there stiffly, his expression betraying an unease he might not even have been aware of. He seemed less like someone receiving a favor and more like a hostage.Cen Jin examined for a moment before picking up a pair of skate shoes from the nearby shoe rack: "Try these on..." After a thought, she asked: "What's your shoe size?"
Li Wu's shoes had been worn for years and were already too tight. He thought for a moment and replied uncertainly: "42."
The sales assistant hurried over to Cen Jin: "This is a popular style. We're out of stock in size 42, but we can transfer a pair from another store."
Cen Jin asked: "What size is this one?"
The assistant took it and checked: "It's 41," she turned to Li Wu, loosening the laces: "Why don't you try it on first to see how it looks?"
This time, Li Wu took the initiative to accept them, bending down right where he stood to change shoes.
The assistant was taken aback: "You should sit down to change, standing like that is exhausting."
Belatedly realizing, Li Wu sat on the shoe stool with one leg up to put on the remaining shoe.
Cen Jin remained silent until he finished changing, then asked: "How does it feel? Too tight?"
Li Wu looked up at her: "Not tight."
Cen Jin stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly squatting down and pressing her hand against the top of his shoe.
Li Wu completely failed to react in time, his leg jerking backward reflexively.
Blood rushed to his head as countless emotions flooded in—mostly panic, followed by a sense of humiliation. Some stubbornly maintained emotional high ground seemed to collapse because of her merciless action.
The air grew stiff, an awkward atmosphere lingering. The sales assistant stood with her mouth half-open, unsure how to smooth over the situation.
Cen Jin stood up calmly: "These don't fit properly. We still need size 42. Please send them to me when you get them in stock."
"Alright," the assistant regained her composure, skillfully switching to a professional smile: "I'll need your address later."
Cen Jin smiled faintly: "Mm, let him keep the clothes on. I'll go with you to check out."
When she returned, Cen Jin saw from a distance that Li Wu was still sitting there, his long legs curled back maintaining the same posture—that frozen moment that had made him so uncomfortable.
He seemed completely unable to break free from it, his brows tightly furrowed.
The assistant passed by Cen Jin to tidy up near the boy's feet, noticing he had already changed back into his original shoes.
The shoes were worn out, their patterns faded beyond recognition, with no visible logo—or perhaps they never had one, much like the indefinable complexity of the relationship between the two people before her.
One thing was certain: they weren't simply siblings.
Having seen countless customers, the assistant knew overanalyzing every person would be exhausting. As long as sales were made and revenue secured, why bother with truth or fiction? She methodically packed everything and handed the new paper bag to Cen Jin.
Cen Jin thanked her and walked back to Li Wu.
After sitting side by side in silence for a while, she asked: "Are you angry?"
Li Wu remained silent.
Cen Jin rested her hands on her knees, gazing straight ahead at the entire wall of men's shoes: "Being angry is right. I thought you had no emotions beyond enduring humiliation. If you don't want to accept this care, if you're unwilling to tell me the truth, why did you come here? If you can settle for shoes that don't fit properly at all, why bother attending Yi High School? Yunfeng Village would suit you better."
Li Wu's throat felt hoarse: "I just want to study."
Cen Jin asked: "Can you study anywhere?"
Li Wu's voice was suppressed: "As long as I can study."
Thinking he might cry, Cen Jin studied his profile, but Li Wu didn't. His thick lashes veiled his eyes, his face maintaining that unchanging expression of endurance—a patience that felt helpless, even pitiable.
She began to regret, to blame herself. She had taken too much for granted—no one had ever taught this child to express himself courageously.Childhood had brushed past his life like a dragonfly skimming water, leaving not even a beautiful silhouette behind. He had matured too early into a self-reliant, tight-lipped adult.
"I just..." Suddenly, Cen Jin felt a lump in her throat, losing the ability to organize her words: "I hope you can accept these kindnesses—I don't want them to become burdens for you. Tomorrow you'll be going to school alone, and in a couple of days I'll be returning to work. My job is very demanding, I might become overwhelmed myself, so I want to do everything I can to help you get closer to the high school students I usually see, to adapt faster to the environment you'll need to face. I've never interacted with a child like you before, I've never even interacted with any children... Perhaps my own life hasn't been going smoothly lately either, so I might have projected these feelings onto you. I'm sorry, I was too impatient."
Li Wu curled his fingers, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
He wanted to speak, but ultimately didn't utter a single word.
—
The celebratory dinner never happened as planned. After finishing their supermarket shopping and purchasing some boarding supplies, the two returned home.
Li Wu went to his room to organize his luggage; Cen Jin sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and absently flipped through channels.
The image of a local community program flashed by, and Cen Jin switched back.
It was a news segment about family relationships, advocating for patience when teaching elderly relatives how to use smartphones.
As if awakened, Cen Jin rose from the sofa and went to her room.
After searching through several drawers, she found the phone she had replaced and set aside last year.
Cen Jin plugged it in to charge, anxiously sitting at the head of the bed waiting.
Remembering the phone still contained considerable personal content, she deleted everything one by one immediately upon startup. After completely clearing it, she saved four phone numbers in the memo.
By the time she finished, the battery had sufficient charge. She immediately unplugged it and walked out of the bedroom.
The guest room door remained open—the temporary occupant clearly understood this wasn't his private space.
He was folding his clothes, the same set he had changed into at the shopping mall.
"Li Wu." Cen Jin tapped on the doorframe, calling his name.
Feeling inexplicably nervous, she tried hard to keep her voice even: "Take this with you tomorrow."
Li Wu turned his head.
Cen Jin extended her hand: "A phone," she quickly added: "An old one, I don't use it anymore."
Li Wu's gaze fell on the device in her hand, but he didn't approach, as if considering whether he should refuse.
He simply couldn't hide his thoughts.
Cen Jin attempted persuasion: "Take it, it'll be more convenient. If anything happens at school, just call me. Otherwise you'd have to borrow phones from teachers or classmates."
Li Wu paused, set down the clothes in his hands, walked over, and accepted the phone: "Thank you," after a slight hesitation, he added more formally: "Thank you, sister."
He wasn't comfortable in social situations, his awkwardness somewhat endearing.
Cen Jin's anxiously suspended heart finally settled.
Li Wu looked down at the phone—not a single scratch, as brand new as if just purchased from the store.
He touched the screen to light it up, his eyes reflecting the sudden brightness. His face showed some animation, revealing that particular fascination most boys have with electronic devices.
Encouraged, Cen Jin added bait: "No password, just tap to enter."
The boy took the hook as expected, his thumb swiping back and forth across the screen, staring intently at the icons.
Cen Jin said: "I saved four phone numbers—mine, my parents', and a friend's. If you have an emergency at school and can't reach me, contact them."
"Okay.""Tap the green button in the lower left corner..." Just as she began reminding him, Li Wu had already tapped it.
"You know how," she stopped mid-sentence, "that's good."
The contact list was indeed sparse, with only four entries:
Cen Jin
Cen Jin's Dad
Cen Jin's Mom
Cen Jin's Friend
The woman's way of storing contacts was quite straightforward, with proper names listed in order, yet carried an indescribable sense of absurdity.
Li Wu stared at these four names, feeling clusters of amusement bubbling up in his chest.
"Oh," Cen Jin remembered she hadn't tested calling yet, "try calling me to see."
Li Wu pressed the first name.
Music came from next door. Li Wu glanced toward the doorway.
"Wait a moment, I don't have my phone with me." Cen Jin turned and left, quickly returning to her bedroom.
The phone on the bed was still vibrating and ringing. Cen Jin picked it up, about to hang up when her hand paused, then pressed the answer button instead.
"Hello."
She said.
Afraid he might not hear, she raised her voice and called "Hello" again.
Hearing the faint female voice, Li Wu hurriedly pressed the phone to his ear.
"Still angry?" The woman's voice came through the receiver as if submerged underwater, warmer and thicker than in reality.
Yet she remained confident, immediately asserting, "Probably not angry anymore, right?"
A shallow dimple appeared at the corner of the young man's lips, lingering for a long while.
Too shy to let this smile show openly, he steadied himself before saying, "Not angry."
"Really?" Cen Jin clearly didn't believe him.
"Mhm." He responded softly.
She mimicked his way of thanking, copying his tone: "Thank you, thank you, little brother."
"..."
Deciding not to tease him further, Cen Jin adopted a serious tone and delivered the belated blessing: "Li Wu, tomorrow will be completely yours. Run freely."
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